Chapter 38
I reluctantly handed the letter to Jaxon and once he was done reading, I could tell that he was angry. Any other person may not have been able to notice the subtle changes in his expression but I saw it. I saw the clench of his jaw and I saw the way he fisted his hands as if trying to prevent himself from doing something he might regret.
“Where did you find it?” he asked and I explained how I had cut myself and returned to the room only to find the
letter on the dresser.
The moment the word room left my l*ps, Jaxon’s eyes turned into narrow slits and I feared I had said something wrong. I had never seen that level of anger before on anyone and it terrified me. I went silent and cast a worried glance at Aiden who was holding a now sleeping Kiara. He assured me with his eyes that Jaxon would not hurt me but I already knew that. I was not worried that he would hurt me, I was worried that he would hurt someone
else.
“They were in our room,” Jaxon said in a deathly still voice and suddenly, I understood the reason behind his
rage.
I did not think about it the way he did. If I had gone to the room earlier, I may have encountered the perpetrator. If I had gone to the room earlier, I could have been hurt. That was where his focus was anything could have happened because somehow they were able to get within the palace walls. Or was it that they no- I refused to believe that anyone in the palace would betray Jaxon.
“I want footage from every camera on that floor or around it now,” Jaxon barked and Aiden immediately leaped
to his feet.
“I’ll put her in bed first and I’ll have to brought to you as soon as possible,: he rushed out of the room as if someone had lit a fire on his behind and as the door clicked shut behind him, I realized it was just Jaxon and I.
Jaxon was still upset. In fact, his anger was like a brewing storm just waiting to explode. He was like a rubber band, there was only so far he could go before he snapped and I knew he was nearing that breaking point. I didn’t know what to do or how to calm him. I opened my mouth to speak but I was cut off by’s frustrated growl coming from Jaxon and before I could blink, he had picked up the vase closest to him and thrown it at the
opposite wall.
I froze in shock unable to move from my seat. I could still hear the echo of the crash and I was worried that he was going to throw something else. I blinked in my spot and Jaxon’s eyes found mine. Something in my expression has him sighing and he took a seat right next to me then gestured for me to come to him.
I hesitated but I knew he wouldn’t hurt me so I stood to my feet and made my way over to him. I took his
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outstretched hand and before I could blink, he pulled me down into his lap and buried his face into my neck. He murmured some words under his breath that were unintelligible but I didn’t ask him to repeat himself because I knew what he needed in that moment was comfort.
We stayed like that for what felt like hours and he ran his hand through my hair softly. I enjoyed the warmth and familiarity of his hold and it wasn’t until I felt the tension bleed out of his body that I turned to him with a soft smile. He refused to look at me so I ran my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck until his let out a small groan and turned to me.
“Hey,” I said softly once our eyes met and he was able to conjure up a small smile. “I’m right here.”
I wanted to remind him that no matter what could have happened, I was fine and I was right beside him. There was nothing for him to worry about when we were together. He let out a deep sigh and pressed a ki*s to my temple.
“I know,” he mumbled. “But they’re getting bolder. For them to sneak into the castle must have taken a lot of guts. I need to increase the guards and change up the patrol schedules.”
He continued to list out the things he needed to do and I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from saying what I wanted to. As always, Jaxon noticed and he fell silent. He analyzed me carefully and then finally sat up straighter with me still in his lap..
“What is it?” he asked and I shook my head. “You don’t get to do that, You want to say something, what is it?”
“Is it possible that there was someone on the inside who helped them?” I asked carefully. “I would never want to believe that anyone in the palace could do that but unless we find obvious signs of a break in, don’t you think it’s possible that they might have inside help.”
Jaxon stayed silent and for a second, I thought I had overstepped my boundaries. I was going to apologize but he held up a hand to stop me.
“I thought about that,” he dropped his voice to a whisper. “The last thing I want is to believe that anyone I know is capable of that but I have thought about it. I mind linked Aiden to check for any guards who were not accounted for and any signs that someone could have broken in.”
Of course Jaxon would have ticked every box. I don’t know why I thought he would have done anything different. I knew it must have hurt for him to even consider the fact that his trusted men would betray him but that was the life of a king. There was always the possibility of betrayal and you needed to be prepared for it.
I knew the topic was too depressing so I wracked my brain for something else to change the subject. Just when I had found something, there was a knock on the door. I tried to pull myself out of Jaxon’s lap but he held me.
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closer and announced for the person to talk in.
Aiden and another guard graced the room. I had never seen that particular guard before but he was caked in dust. It looked as if he had taken a dive into a mountain of dust because it was everywhere, including his hair and his fingers. I sneezed when he stepped too close and Jaxon shot him a look which had him moving backwards.
“I was able to find the source of the noise and the shaking,” the guard announced. “The mines close to the palace were rigged with explosives. Thankfully no one was hurt as the miners had their day off today but I don’t think anyone will be able to get in anytime soon. The roof caved in and it is going to take some time to get it out.”
“How is it possible that the mines were rigged and no one knew about it,” I couldn’t help but ask and I slapped my hand over my mouth when I realized I had spoken out loud.
I flashed an apologetic look towards Jaxon but he wasn’t looking at me, he was staring at the guard. “She has at valid point. How did none of the miners realize that the place was rigged?”
“I think it was done last night, after they left,” he explained. “We haven’t finished our investigation yet but everything points to that direction. The spies are combing through it now to see if there is anything they missed.”
Jaxon nodded then waved the guard off. “You’re excused,”
The guard bowed and then without another word, rushed out of the room. Once the door shut, I saw Jaxon pinch the bridge of his forehead between his fingers. The frustration was beginning to show on his face and he was not even trying to hide it anymore.
“Please tell me that you have better news,” he drawled towards Aiden and when I saw the grimace Aiden gave, I knew it wasn’t going to get better.
Aiden made his way over to us and sat down. “The good news is that from what I can tell, no one in the palace betrayed you. The bad news is that it means that they were able to sneak in.”
“I don’t know how but I am looking into it as we speak,” he finished but from his expression I knew there was
more.
Jaxon still had his hand over his head so I turned to Aiden. “What aren’t you saying?”
“The council beard about everything that happened,” Aiden began and Jaxon snapped up as if someone had struck him with live wire. “I think they still have their sources in the castle because they reached out to me right after I left here. They want to have a meeting in the war cabin.”
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“What’s the war cabin?” I asked feeling completely out of place and Jaxon sighed.
“It’s a cabin my father built to discuss war strategies. It is at least half a day’s journey from here. What Aiden is saying is that I need to be out of the palace for at least two days.”
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